Sphalerite with Quartz

specimen number:
2312251

location:
Krushev dol Mine, Madan, Smolyan, Bulgaria

description:
Very attractive green translucent crystals of sphalerite to 1.0 cm in size across the top of matrix with galena. Quartz present as well. In excellent condition and very choice for the species. Crystallized on both sides of the matrix. This is the variety of the species many refer to as cleophane.

The Krushev Dol mine, located in the Madan ore field of the Rhodope Mountains in southern Bulgaria, is part of a mining region with an ancient history of extraction dating back to the 4th to 5th centuries BC. Modern industrial-scale underground mining in the district developed heavily through the 20th century under state and joint-stock operations, continuing into modern times. Geologically, the deposit is situated within the Central Rhodope Dome, consisting of high-grade metamorphic rocks and marble cut by hydrothermal vein systems. The ore bodies formed via Eocene to Oligocene hydrothermal activity, producing rich polymetallic mineralization consisting primarily of lead, zinc, and copper sulfides hosted within steep fault zones and carbonate-rich rocks.

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